USS Denver decommissions after 46 years of service

After 46 years of service, USS Denver held its decommissioning ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Thursday.

“It is with a great sense of pride that Denver will decommission as the oldest deployable warship in the Navy and as the last and longest-serving Austin-class amphibious transport dock,” said Commanding Officer Capt. Michael P. Donnelly.

“Her extended service life is a true testament to the men and women of Lockheed Shipbuilding who built her and the generations of crews who maintained and sailed her through the full spectrum of missions: from disaster relief to Gulf War command ship.”

The ship was launched on Jan. 23, 1965 and commissioned on Oct. 26, 1968.

Denver is the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of American pioneer James William Denver.

Over its history, the ship played a significant role in several operations, most notably Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam in April, 1975.